That's what Josh said to me last night.
At first it sounds like a compliment, but it's one of those things that makes you go - wait a minute, was that a compliment? Because even though it's nice that I'm apparently looking good lately, that means that I've been looking not-so-good up until now.
Of course, all he meant was that I'm beginning to carry that pregnancy glow around with me. I always said I've never felt better than when I was pregnant with Bennett, and according to Josh I've never looked better either (well, maybe in college). It's partly due to the healthy eating habits I adopted while pregnant, partly due to the super-charged prenatal vitamins and fish oil that I took, and partly due to those good ol' raging hormones and increased blood volume.
So I guess all of those things have had time to sink in and leave their mark again on my skin, hair and nails. It is a rather nice side effect of pregnancy.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
FAM Method and a *Little* Something Else
This past summer my sister-in-law blogged on her cloth diapering site about Natural Family Planning. I had heard her talk about this method of birth control before, but never really thought much about it. But when I read her post this summer, I just kind of went, 'Wait a minute. What am i doing? Why would I take hormonal birth control when my body can very easily and naturally do the same thing on its own?'
So I got on ebay and bought the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. I admit, I did not read the whole book. I looked at the table of contents and skipped to the parts I was most interested in. Your body tells you each month when you are ovulating. I wanted to know what signs to look for. So I skipped to that part and was anxious to start checking myself for these natural occurrences. I'm not going to get into the details of this method, but they encourage you to chart your daily symptoms. Well, it was July when I was ready to start charting, but they encourage you to wait until you have your period so that you have a more accurate chart.
So it was August that I first started. There are two basic types of charts that you can use as a guideline. One is for if you are trying NOT to get pregnant, and one is for if you are. You're still looking for your body to indicate that you are ovulating or nearing ovulation, but obviously, if you're trying NOT to get pregnant they recommend that you abstain from intercourse with your partner during the ovulation period. Duh. And on the other hand, if you ARE trying to get pregnant, well, get busy during that peak time!
Josh and I had been kind of going back and forth about whether or not we were ready to start trying for another child. We were both really ready, but anxious about finances mostly. After several discussions, we decided we were ready. I had already stopped taking the hormonal birth control that I was on when I decided to try the FAM (Fertility Awareness Method - what the above book focuses on). But it was after this decision that I was able to start charting using the pregnancy guideline chart rather than the birth control chart.
So my first official day charting was August 6th. From there I would chart my cycle, noting any changes occurring in my body (I'm being pretty vague here, because I'm fairly certain my dad, brothers and male friends don't need any more details about what exactly I'm looking for here - that is if I haven't lost them already. If any of you would like more information about this method, either click on Lauren's post above, check out the book, or send me an e-mail and I would be more than happy to share what I know.)
A normal cycle is around 28 to 32 days. Once you ovulate, it is generally 12 to 16 days after that that you'll begin your next menstrual cycle. Well, It was clear on my chart when I ovulated, and I started checking off the days after that. Days 1, 2 and 3 went by, then we were to 12 and 13, a little later I was to day 17 past ovulation and still no period. The book did say that it is common to have a late ovulation if you are stressed, traveling or sick. I had been pretty stressed that month due to a few different things, and we went to St. George Island that month with Josh's family. So, no big deal.
Well, by day 22 after I ovulated and I still hadn't started, I got suspicious. Okay, okay, I was suspicious after day 13, what can I say? I was hopeful. I was ready to be pregnant again, and excited for Bennett to have a sibling.
But it wasn't until day 22 that I took this:
Oh yes. That is a big ol' POSITIVE sign you see there.
I AM PREGNANT!
I've known for so long and have been dying to tell everyone, but wanted to wait until my 12 week appointment so that I knew everything was looking good. Well, that was this morning and I heard that tiny little heart beat coming from my abdomen and now I'm ready to shout it from the rooftops! Well, write about it on the internet anyway. *what has this world come to?* :)
I have heard of so many pregnancies in the last couple of months. A friend from high school, my second (third?) cousin on my mom's side, and my first cousin Ashley who was in mine and Josh's wedding! She wrote me and told me of her news only days after I had found out my own, and it was all I could do not to tell her that my baby is going to be a couple weeks younger than hers!
We are so very excited and at the same time so very curious about Bennett's reaction. Because let me tell you, it is ALL about him right now. We'll see how he does when he has to share the spotlight.
So my due date is May 12th, but because I am (most likely) going to have to have another C-section, a more accurate date is between May 2nd and 5th. !!!
So I got on ebay and bought the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler. I admit, I did not read the whole book. I looked at the table of contents and skipped to the parts I was most interested in. Your body tells you each month when you are ovulating. I wanted to know what signs to look for. So I skipped to that part and was anxious to start checking myself for these natural occurrences. I'm not going to get into the details of this method, but they encourage you to chart your daily symptoms. Well, it was July when I was ready to start charting, but they encourage you to wait until you have your period so that you have a more accurate chart.
So it was August that I first started. There are two basic types of charts that you can use as a guideline. One is for if you are trying NOT to get pregnant, and one is for if you are. You're still looking for your body to indicate that you are ovulating or nearing ovulation, but obviously, if you're trying NOT to get pregnant they recommend that you abstain from intercourse with your partner during the ovulation period. Duh. And on the other hand, if you ARE trying to get pregnant, well, get busy during that peak time!
Josh and I had been kind of going back and forth about whether or not we were ready to start trying for another child. We were both really ready, but anxious about finances mostly. After several discussions, we decided we were ready. I had already stopped taking the hormonal birth control that I was on when I decided to try the FAM (Fertility Awareness Method - what the above book focuses on). But it was after this decision that I was able to start charting using the pregnancy guideline chart rather than the birth control chart.
So my first official day charting was August 6th. From there I would chart my cycle, noting any changes occurring in my body (I'm being pretty vague here, because I'm fairly certain my dad, brothers and male friends don't need any more details about what exactly I'm looking for here - that is if I haven't lost them already. If any of you would like more information about this method, either click on Lauren's post above, check out the book, or send me an e-mail and I would be more than happy to share what I know.)
A normal cycle is around 28 to 32 days. Once you ovulate, it is generally 12 to 16 days after that that you'll begin your next menstrual cycle. Well, It was clear on my chart when I ovulated, and I started checking off the days after that. Days 1, 2 and 3 went by, then we were to 12 and 13, a little later I was to day 17 past ovulation and still no period. The book did say that it is common to have a late ovulation if you are stressed, traveling or sick. I had been pretty stressed that month due to a few different things, and we went to St. George Island that month with Josh's family. So, no big deal.
Well, by day 22 after I ovulated and I still hadn't started, I got suspicious. Okay, okay, I was suspicious after day 13, what can I say? I was hopeful. I was ready to be pregnant again, and excited for Bennett to have a sibling.
But it wasn't until day 22 that I took this:
Oh yes. That is a big ol' POSITIVE sign you see there.
I AM PREGNANT!
I've known for so long and have been dying to tell everyone, but wanted to wait until my 12 week appointment so that I knew everything was looking good. Well, that was this morning and I heard that tiny little heart beat coming from my abdomen and now I'm ready to shout it from the rooftops! Well, write about it on the internet anyway. *what has this world come to?* :)
I have heard of so many pregnancies in the last couple of months. A friend from high school, my second (third?) cousin on my mom's side, and my first cousin Ashley who was in mine and Josh's wedding! She wrote me and told me of her news only days after I had found out my own, and it was all I could do not to tell her that my baby is going to be a couple weeks younger than hers!
We are so very excited and at the same time so very curious about Bennett's reaction. Because let me tell you, it is ALL about him right now. We'll see how he does when he has to share the spotlight.
So my due date is May 12th, but because I am (most likely) going to have to have another C-section, a more accurate date is between May 2nd and 5th. !!!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Blue Ridge Mountains
A few months ago, my sister-in-law called me and asked if Josh and I would like to go up to the Blue Ridge Mountains with she and her husband this fall. Matthew's family has a cabin there (actually, it is called a chalet). The two of them went this past June for their anniversary and enjoyed it so much they immediately started planning another trip. Fortunately, we were considered in that planning! So of course we accepted the invitation and it was this past weekend that we all went.
This is our chalet on Beech Mountain in Banner Elk, North Carolina.
I don't know if you can tell from those pictures, but it was snowing the whole time we were there. Pretty chilly, but very nice. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Our drive down the mountain was so beautiful. Actually, from where we were, we had to go up to the top of the mountain and then back down.
At the top was Fred's General Mercantile, where we stopped the first night and got some breakfast stuff and rented a movie to watch (Gran Turino - highly recommend it).
As we continued on, we saw some little friends crossing the road.
We stopped to try to get a good picture of the view from the mountain, but it wasn't working out. So Josh just took a picture of me instead.
This is our chalet on Beech Mountain in Banner Elk, North Carolina.
When we woke up the first morning, there was a light dusting of ice/snow.
It was chilly, but we were prepared for it and we headed into town for the Woolly Worm Festival anyway. "The what?" you say...
The Woolly Worm Festival! Okay, we hadn't heard of it either, but apparently it's a big deal in Banner Elk. It's just a good ol' festival with crafts, bluegrass, and booth upon booth of scrumptious festival food (turkey legs, gyros, philly cheesesteaks, corn dogs, roasted corn, chili cheese fries, hamburgers, fried mushrooms, barbeque, polish sausages, funnel cakes, fried peaches, hot apple cider, etc., etc.).
All that plus the Woolly Worm race! Kids from all over bring their woolly worms and they have heats all throughout the day in which the kids (and adults) put their worms on a string and see whose will get to the top first.
Here, Josh and I are standing in front of the big Woolly Worm Race stage.
Lauren and Matthew, also in front of the stage.
I don't know if you can tell from those pictures, but it was snowing the whole time we were there. Pretty chilly, but very nice. I thoroughly enjoyed it.When it came time for lunch, it was so hard to decide on what to eat! Well, it was hard for all of us except Matthew. He had his heart set on a turkey leg.
After the Woolly Worm festival, we headed over to Valle Crucis where they were having another festival. We checked that one out for just a little while; it was just about over when we got there. Thankfully, they were still serving up funnel cakes. Just like Matthew and his turkey leg, Lauren and I both would have cried if we didn't get to enjoy a funnel cake. And oh, did we. Yum.
We also went to the original Mast General Store in Valle Crucis, which was an awesome place that must have had everything you could imagine. It was in an old farmhouse and the place was packed! We enjoyed looking at all the neat gift ideas, sipping samples of hot cider, and listening to the bluegrass band that was set up right in the middle of the store. Pretty neat.
The next morning, it was time to leave (we were really only there for one full day), and we were delighted to see that there was a little more than a dusting of snow then.
Our drive down the mountain was so beautiful. Actually, from where we were, we had to go up to the top of the mountain and then back down.
At the top was Fred's General Mercantile, where we stopped the first night and got some breakfast stuff and rented a movie to watch (Gran Turino - highly recommend it).
We slip-slided into their very icy parking lot so I could get a picture of these gorgeous trees. Does that not just scream Christmas? I love them!
And across the street, some more.
As we continued on, we saw some little friends crossing the road.
We stopped to try to get a good picture of the view from the mountain, but it wasn't working out. So Josh just took a picture of me instead.
It was pretty amazing how you could drive around just a few curves going down the mountain and the climate seemed totally different. At the top everything was covered in snow and ice. A little ways down, the fall colors were as vibrant as ever with just a very light dusting of snow. Then at the bottom, no snow at all, just beautifully colored leaves and warm sunshine.
From the road down there, you could look up and in the foreground you see mountains speckled with red, yellow, orange and green, and in the background, taller mountains that were silvery white. As Mama said, we got the best of both worlds.
Not exactly the weekend we were expecting, but in a good way. I loved it and so enjoyed the company of Lauren and Matthew. Guys, thank you so much for the opportunity and for all your love and support.
Friday, October 16, 2009
One for the Road
I took this picture of Bennett this morning before he headed off to Montessori.
We're going to the mountains this weekend with Lauren and Matthew and while I'm really excited about getting away, I'm also really anxious about leaving him. Exactly how long is this going to last? Until he's 30?
Monday, October 12, 2009
Twinkle Twinkle
Just a quick thing I want to share:
Last night, Bennett sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with me. He’s gotten to where he doesn’t want to read a book at night; he just wants to lie on my chest and have me sing songs to him. So I usually sing three or four little songs and then lay him down. Twinkle Twinkle is a common one, but he’s never joined in before.
Sometimes when we sing stuff downstairs, he’ll kind of make noises with us like he’s singing. Or once we quit, he’ll start up with something that sounds similar. But last night, when I started with Twinkle Twinkle, he sang along with me. Of course he didn’t say the words, but he made the correct sounds at the correct time. It was so cute!
Josh heard it over the monitor and was smiling when I got back downstairs. He said, “He sang with you.” I said, “I know! And it sounded like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!” He said, “That’s exactly what it was!”
Ahhh… the little things that make life precious. Flood? Economic crisis? What?
Last night, Bennett sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with me. He’s gotten to where he doesn’t want to read a book at night; he just wants to lie on my chest and have me sing songs to him. So I usually sing three or four little songs and then lay him down. Twinkle Twinkle is a common one, but he’s never joined in before.
Sometimes when we sing stuff downstairs, he’ll kind of make noises with us like he’s singing. Or once we quit, he’ll start up with something that sounds similar. But last night, when I started with Twinkle Twinkle, he sang along with me. Of course he didn’t say the words, but he made the correct sounds at the correct time. It was so cute!
Josh heard it over the monitor and was smiling when I got back downstairs. He said, “He sang with you.” I said, “I know! And it sounded like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!” He said, “That’s exactly what it was!”
Ahhh… the little things that make life precious. Flood? Economic crisis? What?
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Man of Mine
I've been tagged again, by my sister-in-law, Lauren. She says it's because she knows I love tags, but I think she secretly just wanted to give me a reason to write about something. Anything. I've been a little slack lately... and that's not just in the blogging world. I've been fairly absent on facebook, I've been pretty bad about returning phone calls, and our house is a mess.
I have a good reason.
But for now, let me just tell you a little about my hubby hubs.
♥ What are your middle names?
Elizabeth and Stephen.
♥How long have you been together?
Started dating in April of 99 and got married September of 04. So, 10 1/2 years now!
♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Mmm... about 6 months, I guess.
♥ Who asked who out?
I don't think either of us really 'asked the other out.' He had a girlfriend when we met and it was kind of a given that when she was booted I would step in. That, and we didn't ever really go out as much as we stayed in and just hung out with our mutual friends.
♥ Who made the first move?
Our friends did! We were basically closed up in a room and told that we couldn't come out until we had kissed. We were both very shy, so they had to take desperate measures.
♥ How old are each of you?
In two months we'll both be 30.
♥ Did you go to the same school?
We both went to UGA.
♥ Are you from the same home town?
No.
♥ Who is the smartest?
Josh is definitely more intelligent, but I have more common sense than he does.
♥ Who majored in what?
Me - Marketing (oh my gosh, I had to stop and think about that)
Him - Economics
♥ Who is the most sensitive?
Let's just say that it was not my face that was wet last night when we watched "No Reservations."
♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Well, see, we're poor, so we don't really eat out, but when we do we like our local Monterrey's Mexican Restaurant.
♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
France. Christmas of '00. Amazing.
♥ Who has the worst temper?
That's a hard one. Neither of us has a really bad temper, but I'm probably the one that gets more fired up about things.
♥ How many children do you want?
Definitely 2, and then we'll see from there if we want one more. I'm kind of thinking 2 is going to be our number.
♥ Who does the cooking?
We both cook, but he makes the good stuff.
♥ Who is more social?
Him.
♥ Who is the neat-freak?
What is a neat-freak?
♥ Who is the most stubborn?
Probably me. Okay, the probably was not needed. Me.
♥ Who wakes up earlier?
Usually Josh. I'm never far behind, though, because Bennett is a fairly early riser.
♥Where was your first date?
We went to see the movie "Go" in Athens.
♥ Who has the bigger family?
Me. Bennett was the 28th great grandchild on my dad's side of the family (and there have already been 2 more added since then, and by May there will be at least 2 more!)
♥ Do you get flowers often?
No, not really. I used to, when we were still courtin'.
♥ How do you spend the holidays?
Our holidays are usually pretty laid back. We like to spend a lot of time at home, but we also make it out to see the extended family. I love holidays. I can't wait for the ones coming up!
♥ Who is more jealous?
We're comfortable enough in our relationship to not be jealous people.
♥ How long did it take to get serious?
About 3 months. Maybe not even that long. We knew.
♥ Who eats more?
I want to say Josh, but I don't know if I honestly can. ;)
♥ What do you do for a living?
Josh works in construction sales, and I am a stay at home mom. I hope to be in the baking business before my 33rd birthday.
♥ Who does the laundry?
Me.
♥ Who’s better with the computer?
That would be the hubs.
♥ Who drives when you are together?
Me. Almost always.
♥ What is "your" song?"
I can't really say that we have a song. Our first dance was to Shania Twain's "From This Moment On," which seems really cheesy, but we both cried when it came on the radio about a month before our wedding, so we decided on it.
Alrighty then! How about I tag the K's - Krista, Kelly, and Kara.
I have a good reason.
But for now, let me just tell you a little about my hubby hubs.
♥ What are your middle names?
Elizabeth and Stephen.
♥How long have you been together?
Started dating in April of 99 and got married September of 04. So, 10 1/2 years now!
♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Mmm... about 6 months, I guess.
♥ Who asked who out?
I don't think either of us really 'asked the other out.' He had a girlfriend when we met and it was kind of a given that when she was booted I would step in. That, and we didn't ever really go out as much as we stayed in and just hung out with our mutual friends.
♥ Who made the first move?
Our friends did! We were basically closed up in a room and told that we couldn't come out until we had kissed. We were both very shy, so they had to take desperate measures.
♥ How old are each of you?
In two months we'll both be 30.
♥ Did you go to the same school?
We both went to UGA.
♥ Are you from the same home town?
No.
♥ Who is the smartest?
Josh is definitely more intelligent, but I have more common sense than he does.
♥ Who majored in what?
Me - Marketing (oh my gosh, I had to stop and think about that)
Him - Economics
♥ Who is the most sensitive?
Let's just say that it was not my face that was wet last night when we watched "No Reservations."
♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Well, see, we're poor, so we don't really eat out, but when we do we like our local Monterrey's Mexican Restaurant.
♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
France. Christmas of '00. Amazing.
♥ Who has the worst temper?
That's a hard one. Neither of us has a really bad temper, but I'm probably the one that gets more fired up about things.
♥ How many children do you want?
Definitely 2, and then we'll see from there if we want one more. I'm kind of thinking 2 is going to be our number.
♥ Who does the cooking?
We both cook, but he makes the good stuff.
♥ Who is more social?
Him.
♥ Who is the neat-freak?
What is a neat-freak?
♥ Who is the most stubborn?
Probably me. Okay, the probably was not needed. Me.
♥ Who wakes up earlier?
Usually Josh. I'm never far behind, though, because Bennett is a fairly early riser.
♥Where was your first date?
We went to see the movie "Go" in Athens.
♥ Who has the bigger family?
Me. Bennett was the 28th great grandchild on my dad's side of the family (and there have already been 2 more added since then, and by May there will be at least 2 more!)
♥ Do you get flowers often?
No, not really. I used to, when we were still courtin'.
♥ How do you spend the holidays?
Our holidays are usually pretty laid back. We like to spend a lot of time at home, but we also make it out to see the extended family. I love holidays. I can't wait for the ones coming up!
♥ Who is more jealous?
We're comfortable enough in our relationship to not be jealous people.
♥ How long did it take to get serious?
About 3 months. Maybe not even that long. We knew.
♥ Who eats more?
I want to say Josh, but I don't know if I honestly can. ;)
♥ What do you do for a living?
Josh works in construction sales, and I am a stay at home mom. I hope to be in the baking business before my 33rd birthday.
♥ Who does the laundry?
Me.
♥ Who’s better with the computer?
That would be the hubs.
♥ Who drives when you are together?
Me. Almost always.
♥ What is "your" song?"
I can't really say that we have a song. Our first dance was to Shania Twain's "From This Moment On," which seems really cheesy, but we both cried when it came on the radio about a month before our wedding, so we decided on it.
Alrighty then! How about I tag the K's - Krista, Kelly, and Kara.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Come On Over Any Time, Greg
How lucky am I? To have a brother that is a photographer... oh I can't even tell you how much I love it when they come over and do this:
If any of y'all are interested in having some shots made of your little ones, let me know! Greg is ready to get up and going with his photography career and would love new subjects!
I am personally a HUGE fan of candid shots like these over the ones you get in the studio. Not to dis' the studio shots, because those are great too; there is just something so natural and pure about these that I don't think can be duplicated in the studio.
Greg will probably be disappointed that I posted these before he could remove the scratch from Bennett's chin and the graham cracker crumb from his mouth. Oh well. I love them and wanted to share. :)
More evidence of his work can be seen here and here. He has an incredible portfolio album on his facebook page if anyone's interested in taking a look... just let me know and I'll be happy to share.
The quality of these photos was greatly reduced in order to upload them to Blogger. The originals are amazing. Beautiful! Thanks Greg and Cici! (I have to give props to Cici for getting that huge grin out of Bennett all afternoon!) :)
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